Algebraic infection of charge correlations of a classical electrolyte at the critical point of the liquid-gas transition

TL;DR

This paper investigates how charge correlations in a classical electrolyte model are affected at the liquid-gas critical point, revealing an algebraic decay due to an infection mechanism that impacts dielectric properties.

Contribution

It introduces an infection mechanism explaining the algebraic decay of charge correlations at the critical point in a modified electrolyte model.

Findings

Charge correlations decay algebraically at the critical point.

Breakdown of exponential clustering affects dielectric properties.

Monte Carlo simulations support the theoretical predictions.

Abstract

We consider a classical Two-Component Plasma analog of the Restricted Primitive Model of electrolyte, where the hard-core interaction is replaced by a soft differentiable potential. Within the Born-Green-Yvon hierarchy for the equilibrium distribution functions, we shed light on an infection mechanism where the charge correlations are polluted by the density correlations at the critical point of the liquid-gas transition. This implies an algebraic decay of critical charge correlations. Such breakdown of exponential clustering should provide dielectric rather than conducting properties at the critical point, leading to the violation of certain charge-charge sum rules. This is in agreement with Monte Carlo simulations.